Mercedes driver George Russell headed both practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Briton led team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.552 seconds in the second session. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was Russell’s closest rival in the first session, when Antonelli suffered a hydraulic failure.

Antonelli’s reliability problems also meant he missed the first half of the second session, and overall the Italian had half the amount of running of Russell.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad had his second crash in consecutive race weekends in practice, clipping the wall on the exit of the tight chicane leading into the section around the castle.

In the context of the day, the margin between the two Mercedes drivers is to be expected but Antonelli is likely to close in on Friday in the run up to qualifying.

Mercedes spent the first half-hour of the second session finishing off the repair to Antonelli’s car, which involved an engine change.

That meant he had to go straight into his performance runs on the soft tyre, having missed set-up and development time at the end of the first hour and the beginning of the second.

Emergency services, including the air ambulance, were called to the crash on Crane Lane Row, between Hamsterley and Bishop Auckland, just before 6.15pm on Wednesday (September 23).

Despite the best efforts of medics, a 60-year-old passenger in the van was declared dead at the scene.

His family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers, Durham Police said.

Another second casualty was taken to the RVI in Newcastle for further treatment, the ambulance service confirmed.

The road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.

It has since been reopened.

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “Officers would like to speak to any witnesses, or those who may have dashcam footage of the vehicles leading up to the collision.

“If you can help, please contact Durham Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit by email at SCIU@durham.police.uk quoting incident number 413 of September 23.”

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We were called to a road traffic incident on Crane Row Lane at 6.40pm. We dispatched two ambulance crews and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). One patient was taken to RVI hospital by road for further treatment.”

A spokesperson for Great North Air Ambulance said: “Our critical care team was activated at 6.51pm to an incident near Hamsterley.

“We had a paramedic and doctor on board our aircraft and they arrived on scene at 7.02pm.”

Mark Phillips, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) chief executive, said: “The rail industry continues to take action to better protect staff, but these figures underline the need for a change in public behaviour and greater respect for the people who keep the railway running safely every day.”

Rumours of a rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale followed the pair during their time as Real Madrid superstars

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have repeatedly dismissed rumours of a rivalry between them during their time as Real Madrid team-mates.

Ronaldo, 41, is set to start in Portugal’s opening fixture of the 2026/27 Nations League campaign against Wales on Thursday night at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Bale, meanwhile, retired from professional football in January 2023 as Wales’ most-capped player and top goal-scorer of all time.

The pair played together at the Bernabeu for five seasons prior to Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018, tormenting opposition full-backs while at the peak of respective their powers.

Despite forming a highly successful forward trident along with Karim Benzema, which won four Champions League titles, there were plenty of suggestions in the media and online that they did not have the best relationship on or off the pitch – unlike Barcelona’s trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

The rumoured tension boiled down to Ronaldo sometimes appearing unimpressed when Bale scored, while the Portuguese also fuelled the notion of their fractious relationship by admitting he did not spend a lot of time with his team-mates away from training, specifically name-checking Bale.

But Ronaldo had already shown his true colours by defending Bale in his first season following his big-money move to Madrid. Bale, who arrived in 2013 from Tottenham Hotspur for £85million, was immediately under intense pressure to perform after injuries disrupted his start in Spain.

“I think Gareth Bale is doing well since he arrived,” Ronaldo said in a 2013 press conference. “He has had a difficult time because [of a lack of] pre-season, and injury. It’s better to leave him alone, don’t put pressure on him, because I’m sure 100% he’s going to do well for the club because he is a fantastic player, a fantastic boy and he always wants to learn.”

The current Al-Nassr forward’s words hardly painted a picture of animosity with Bale. In March 2019, Bale returned the favour by telling MailOnline: “Cristiano is an incredible player, I thoroughly enjoyed playing with him. Obviously the media try and hype up these problems which were never there. We got on really well.”

In a July 2023 interview with The Times, the winger addressed the speculation about his uneasy dynamic with the Manchester United legend.

Bale insisted: “I never had one single problem with anybody. I don’t think I ever had an argument with anyone. Even through the hard times, it was good in the changing room. I honestly really enjoyed my time there apart from the few moments where it was difficult on the pitch.” The Welshman added: “I have no regrets. I made the right decision.”

The former Tottenham talisman left the Spanish giants in 2022 and hung up his boots less than a year later, aged 35, following a brief stint with Los Angeles FC and representing Wales at the 2022 World Cup.

He appeared on the Stick To Football podcast earlier this year, where he once more shed light on the fact his relationship with Ronaldo was always professional, dismissing any animosity. However, Bale explained that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was obsessed with scoring goals to the point where his body language sometimes suggested he was angry with his team-mates – which he also defended.

Bale said: “We got on very well in the dressing room. We never had a problem. Karim was very calm. Cristiano and I were on the wing with more spark, but he was holding it all together. I came in as the last piece of the puzzle.”

“Whether in training or matches, all he wanted to do was score goals. If you didn’t pass him the ball, you noticed it,” Bale said regarding Ronaldo with a laugh while recalling the Portuguese star’s mentality.

“I’ve had a few arm flails when I’ve missed a one-on-one and I maybe could have passed to him. You also have to take that that is his drive and motivation. He just wants to score, not just one but he wants to score three, four, five, six a game, if he can.

“You know, he’s chasing records and wants to beat Lionel Messi doing that. You get it, and also you can’t argue because he’s scoring the goals.

“He was just so driven. Going into a game you knew pretty much that you had a 1-0 headstart because he was going to score at some point. He was a confidence booster for the team.”

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will contest their long-awaited all-British heavyweight fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11 December.

The bout, more than a decade in the making, will be broadcast globally on Netflix.

BBC Sport understands the main event could take place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK, with organisers considering a late start to cater for audiences in the United States.

Joshua and Fury will come face-to-face at a news conference in London on Wednesday, 30 September, as the build-up begins to one of the most anticipated fights in British boxing history.

“I am inspiring a generation,” Joshua, 36, posted on Instagram. Fury, 38, is yet to comment on the announcement.

The event is being promoted as a collaboration between Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and UFC chief Dana White.

“Two of the best heavyweights of this generation, finally in the ring together,” Alalshikh said.

“This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. I am very happy to make this fight happen for the fans.”

The former two-time world champions had already signed contracts for the bout earlier this year, but the date and venue had yet to be confirmed.

London’s Wembley Stadium and New York’s Madison Square Garden were the frontrunners to stage the fight, but both presented issues before Cardiff recently emerged as an alternative.

The Principality Stadium has hosted late-night boxing before, including Joe Calzaghe’s fight with Mikkel Kessler in November 2007, which began at 01:00 GMT.

Welsh Rugby Union and Cardiff Council officials welcomed the fight, saying it would reinforce the city’s reputation for staging major events and could bring a significant economic boost, although some operational details still need to be finalised.

Joshua had been pushing for the fight to take place in the UK and has got his wish.

“Forever indebted to the UK public for their support of Anthony Joshua. We couldn’t have got this over the line without you,” his promoter Eddie Hearn said.

It is notable that White, who fronts Zuffa Boxing, is involved in the promotion.

“For more than a decade, boxing fans have been clamouring for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Together, they bring 66 wins, 52 knockouts and multiple heavyweight world titles into the ring,” White said.

“On December 11, two of the biggest heavyweights of this generation finally collide – and the winner will take a significant place in heavyweight history.”

There was no official statement from Hearn or Fury’s promoter Frank Warren in the official news release sent by Netflix. Hearn had previously said he did not want White to be involved in promoting the fight.

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

Published: 12:37 BST, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 13:38 BST, 24 September 2026

It’s also surrounded by stunning countryside

There are many pretty villages in England, but Cambridgeshire is home to one with a number of claims to fame. Elsworth is not only a picturesque old village full of thatched cottages, but it has not one but two historic facts.

The South Cambridgeshire village was once home to a very famous resident, who you might not know by name but you will definitely know his work. Rev W Awdry, was the vicar of Elsworth’s Holy Trinity church between 1946 and 1950 – and you probably know him best as the writer of the very well known Thomas the Tank Engine.

He was rector of the parish of Elsworth in 1946 when he was writing his books. He wrote five books while working in Elsworth before moving to be the vicar in Emneth – another Cambridgeshire village.

The village’s other claim to fame is that it helped create what is known as ‘the Cambridgeshire dialect’. Many people might say there isn’t an accent in Cambridgeshire – it’s certainly not as strong as the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle or Essex – but there is still an accent.

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The Cambridgeshire dialect varies depending on whether you’re in the north of the county, where the Fenland accent rules, or further south where it’s difficult to tell where people are from, but this small village is the first place where any of the dialects were first recorded.

In 1950, it was one of only two sites in Cambridgeshire to be covered by the Survey of English Dialects. The village was chosen to be a part of the survey because it was a rural area with a history of a stable population.

Residents were talked to and recorded so that their dialect would not be completely lost to history. Extracts from these recordings are now all freely available online through the British Library. The other village to have its dialect recorded in Cambridgeshire was Little Downham.

The village is just nine miles away from Cambridge and seven miles from Huntingdon. You will find two pubs there – George & Dragon on Boxworth Road and The Poacher on Brockley Road. It also has a community shop, a primary school and a Church.

Despite its small size today, Elsworth has always been a well-populated village and was also a very successful and bustling Medieval village, dwarfing those around it. It’s name has also changed a little over time. It was listed as Eleswurth in 974, and Elesuuorde in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Taylor Swift is lifting the lid on what fans should expect from her latest musical offering.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Grammy winner was releasing a new version of her Life Of A Showgirl album dubbed The Encore, led by the new single Patient Zero, this Friday.

In addition to her new song, Taylor has revealed that she’s already shot a music video for it, which features a couple of familiar faces.

A 13-second teaser shared on the I Knew You Were Trouble singer’s social media channels on Thursday revealed that the clip will feature appearances from Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

Of course, Swifties know that this is far from the first time Taylor has recruited some A-list talent to star in her music videos.

Announcing new music on Wednesday, Taylor told her fans: “About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing. Something that completely blew my mind… You gave The Life of a Showgirl the biggest first week for an album in history.

“I took a trip to Sweden to celebrate with Max [Martin] and Shellback, my two collaborators on this album. Really we just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs.

“I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”

The incident occurred in Husk, in Station Square, Harrogate on August 9 at 4.24pm.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “The victim and her partner had just entered the bar with their dog when they have been attacked by a dog belonging to a couple already seated inside.”

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A terrier type dog, police said, is believed to have initially attacked the alleged victim’s golden retriever before biting its owner as she tried to move away.

In the process, she is said to have injured her knee.

A force spokesperson said: “If you can help our appeal, please email peter.henderson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and ask for PC1668 Henderson.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference 12260155379 when passing on information.”